Autumn
by unleashedd
Summary: "When I think of her, I think of autumn. I think of coziness, heartbreak, and her. There is so much about her that is just Autumn. When I think of her, I think of Autumn, because that's when she fell." Ally is Austin's best friend, who he loves more than he is willing to admit. But Ally has some major issues at home. With secrets piling up, how can Austin help this broken girl? AU
1. The Beginning

**_Autumn_**

**Prologue:**

He sighs in relief as he watches her arrive from above.

Her eyes meet his as she turns her head in the crowd of people. A smile immediately arrives on her face.

He can feel his face heating up, so he smiles and looks away.

Her smile grows, as the distance between them closes.

"You came", he says.

She looks up into his eyes.

"I'll always come." A large smile arises on his face.

She stands on her tip toes and kisses his lips ever so softly, before pulling away.

She opens her eyes the same time he does.

"Thanks for catching me", she tells him. He is confused by her comment. So she continues.

"Thanks for catching me when I fell."

**Chapter One: The Beginning**

When I think of her, I think of autumn. I think of warm colours of red, orange, and yellow. I think of coziness, heartbreak, and her. There is so much about her that is just Autumn. When I think of her, I think of Autumn, because that's when she fell.

When I think of her, I think of the sun. She shines brighter than all of the other stars in the sky. When she smiles, she lights up my world in a way I find hard to describe. Her eyes can tell a thousand stories. I can tell what she is going to say the moment her eyes make contact with mine. They have a way of translating body language to words before any can be spoken. Her eye brows furrow in a specific way when she is sad or disappointed. Her eyes sparkle when she is happy. Somehow my attitude is a reflection of hers. When she's happy, I'm happy, when she is sad, I'm sad. We are in a way a mirror of each other.

When I think of her, I think of the day she started falling.

_103 Days Before…_

She looked so beautiful. She was in such a good mood, and I could tell, because I was in a good mood. She was laughing at everything I said, and it made me feel so good.

We were walking down the street of town, beside all the shops; the book store, variety store, and a few cafes. The streets were busy, and everyone was scurrying around. Everyone had to be somewhere, but we didn't, we had each other.

The lamp posts were decorated for thanksgiving; even though it was over a month away. It was September 25th. There were pumpkins all along every street, but main street was packed with everything; pumpkins, cornstalks, straw bales, and gourds.

She was wearing dark jeans, a wool sweater, and a beige leather jacket. She wore a red scarf, and beige leather boots. She loved leather, and thought every girl should have some leather in their wardrobe. She had her arms crossed and a small brown bag in her hand. She was holding the two cinnamon buns I had just bought for her which she insisted on carrying in her hands. There was a small skip in her step, but it was so small, I was probably the only one who could notice because I paid attention to those details.

"Hey look! The trees are starting to change colour!" she pointed up to some trees across the road surrounding the courthouse on the town square.

I smiled. These were the kinds of things she noticed.

Today was special. Ally was so happy today, and these days' didn't come around too often and needed to be cherished.

I took out the old camera I had in my pocket. It was one of those cameras that printed the picture right after you took it and the colour appears after a few minutes.

Ally was too busy to notice that I had taken out the camera; she was too busy smelling some sun flowers outside the window of the flower shop. Her hair was pulled up into a high pony tail and the ringlets of her curly hair were blowing gently in the cool fall breeze.

I brought the camera up to my eye and took a quick picture of Ally smelling the flower, it would have been a waste not to take that picture; it was too perfect.

Ally flinched when she heard the sound of the shutter on the camera. She turned to me, as I was slowly pulling the camera away from my face. I had a goofy smile on my face, which she laughed at.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I don't want my picture taken Austin? You know I don't like it."

I shrugged, as if it meant nothing to me.

"But if I don't take your picture, who else is going to take a picture of your beautiful face?"

Before she could respond, I wrapped an arm around her waist and stuck the camera out in front of us and took another picture. This time she smiled willingly. She had her cheek against mine and I could feel the warmth flowing between us.

For the third picture I quickly turned my face and kissed her cheek lightly and before she could react I snapped the picture. She pulled away from me, and looked at me like I was crazy. I shrugged and put the printed pictures into my pocket. I started walking up the street, while she stayed put, probably still think about what I just did.

It shouldn't have meant to much to her, we do that kind of thing all the time to each other, but I guessed I just caught her off guard and caught her on camera too. I turned around after a few seconds to see her just staring at me. After I turned, a smile broke across her face, and I could feel the sparks flying between us.

She started skipping towards me, and she grabbed my arm looping hers around it and we walked back to my house together arm in arm.

As we approached the front door of my house, I could see the smoke floating up from the chimney. From behind the house I could hear the sound of the old swing set swaying in the wind. I opened the door of the house and let Ally in first.

A smile had been plastered on her face for the last ten minutes and I could tell she was excited to eat the cinnamon buns. She set the bag down on the mud room bench and sat down next to the bag. They both slid off their shoes and hung up their coats. I walked into the kitchen, and Ally followed close behind.

"Did Dez tell you that he applied for a Film Choice scholarship?" I asked her.

"Yah, he did! I am so proud of him! I always knew he would make a great director. He actually asked me to come to the awards show with him." In the kitchen I could smell my mom's baking; the aroma fills my nose, but this bliss is disrupted by a thought.

"Wait!" Ally stops and looks at me. She looks rather confused.

"What?"

"Dez asked you to go with him?"

"Yah… why?"

"I'm going too!"

"Well I figured you would be going, you two are best friends."

"Ally, you're my best friend."

She blushes slightly.

"I know that."

"Well now I get to spend that day with you too."

"Austin", she blushes and I smile, "we spend every day together. It's not going to make a difference."

"You don't like spending everyday with me?" I mocked feeling hurt.

"No, no, NO! That's not it! I love spending everyday with you. I just figured you would get bored of having me around so much", she said quickly.

"Ally", I say calmly, "I'm kidding." She visibly relaxes. "And I love… spending time with you too." I begin to lift my hand up to tuck the piece of loose hair behind her ear, but thought against. They were standing facing each other, and her eyes watched me so closely. I could almost see a hint of longing in them, and for a second I start to lean in without thinking. I even thought she was leaning in too. We were standing in the small hallway before the kitchen, the lighting is dark and she was leaning against the wall.

Before I could begin to move myself, she quickly turned away, and I leaned back blushing.

"Hey Austin, Honey! Is that you?" a voice shouts. I turn my head and see my mom walking around the corner. "Oh there you are!" she smiles. "And Ally! How nice to see you again." Finally something clicks in my mom's head. "What are you two doing in here?" I look at Ally whose gaze hasn't left the floor, but she finally looks up with a smile.

"We were just talking", I say quickly.

My mom rushes up to Ally and embraces her into a hug. Ally tenses. Ally looks up at me while still hugging my mom, and her eyes were large, she look terrified. I don't know why, but immediately I react by shouting at my mom.

"Mom!" I whisper shouted.

She pulled away, wiping her hands on her 'Fall time' baking apron.

"Oh I'm sorry, I just love seeing you here. It's been so long."

"It's only been 6 days mom."

"Is that it? Feels like lifetimes. I'm used to seeing you here every day. Can I get you anything? A brownie? Lemonade? Anything?"

"Mom! We can handle it."

"Oh, okay. Right. Well if you need anything. Just let me know. I'll be in the study."

And then she walks away, and he turned to Ally who still looked frightened.

"Ally I am so sorry about her. I know you hate when people touch you. She just loves you so much."

She looks down at her feet. When I put my hand on her chin she looks up at me with tears in her eyes, which she fights to hold in by blinking rapidly. It makes me angry that my mom caused this.

"It's okay; I am just a freak, with no self-control."

"Ally no! You are perfect, just the way you are, and don't let anyone tell you anything different."

But this time she openly throws her arms up and wraps them around my neck. My hands instinctively wrap around her waist, as if they are molded there.

One of my hands makes its way up her back and to the back of her head. My pointer finger twirls a piece of her hair around it. I whisper soothing sounds until I could hear her heart rate slow down.

After a while she pulls away. Her eyes still linger on the floor.

"Hey", I whisper quietly, "we still have cinnamon buns." A smile rises on her face, but not quite as big as before.

I put my arm behind her back. "Come on beautiful girl." She shoves me, and skips off to the kitchen. Sometimes a girl just needs to be told that she is beautiful.

I follow behind her and I sit on the bar stool and watch Ally as she scurries around the kitchen. She puts hot water into a kettle and puts it on the stove to boil it. While she waits she gets two plates out of the cupboard along with silverware. She takes out whip cream and gently puts one cinnamon bun on to each plate.

She hums sweetly to the tune stuck in her head and takes the whip cream and puts some on each plate. She puts more onto mine because she knows I like it that way. When she finishes she smiles up at me and passes me the whip cream spray. I spray some right into my mouth. She knew I would have done it anyways so she doesn't try to fight it. I always win things like that.

The kettle soars to life as the water comes to a boil. She sets out two mugs, one that says best, the other says friends. They are our cups. She puts in the hot chocolate mixture and exactly 10 mini marshmallows and pours the water exactly ¾ full. She fills the rest with milk.

As she finishes, I get up from my spot watching her and walk around the island. She stands and admires her masterpiece. While she is distracted, I spray some whip cream on her nose and walk away with our snacks which she put onto a silver tray.

"Hey!" she screeches. I laugh and walk into the living room. I set the tray on the coffee table and sit down on the floor. I grab a quilt and put it onto my lap and wait for Ally. While I wait I take the pictures out of my sweater pocket and put my camera onto the coffee table. I spread the pictures I took today across the table. My fingers linger across the picture of me kissing Ally's cheek. The smile on her face is so big. She glows. Her eyes sparkle, and she is genuinely very happy. The happiest I've seen her in ages. I make a mental note to keep the picture forever. The trees on the background of the picture contrast so well with the rest of the picture, perfectly highlighting every curve and line on both of our faces.

I feel then gentle touch of her hands on my face. She covers my eyes with her fingers. Her hands are freezing, so I shudder at the touch, but the cold is quickly replaced by warmth.

"Guess who?" she asks quietly whispering into my left ear.

"Brittney Spears?"

She laughs faintly.

"Noooo" she drags out the 'o'. It almost sounds lustful, but it's Ally, so it can't be.

"George Clooney?"

"Yes!" she says in a manly voice. "How did you know?"

I turn around to face her.

"Well if the giant man hands weren't an immediate give away…" she laughs at my comment.

"You would say George Clooney too."

"Please, try and convince me you wouldn't marry George Clooney right now if he asked."

She pretends to think about it.

"Guilty", she shrugs.

I laugh.

We spend the next hour talking, eating, looking at the pictures I took and watching "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe".

Ally and I are leaning against the couch still sitting on the floor with the blanket covering our legs. She is leaning against my arm and fiddling with the button on the sleeve of my sweater when her phone rings. She practically jumps out of her skin when it first rings. I have to put a hand on her shoulder for her to reflexively calm down.

She stands up and takes the phone out of her pocket.

"Hello?"

Ally doesn't say anything for a long time, so I look up to see her face. She is looking out the window, nodding.

"Okay, but why?"

"Are you sure?"

"O-okay? I'll be there soon."

"Kay, Bye." Then she hangs up. Ally doesn't move at all for a long time. Her eyes remain staring out the window. When I stand up, and walk to her, I look into her eyes, and wee that they are empty. Empty of hope, the hope that was once there has disappeared.

I place my hand on her shoulder, which she immediately reacts too. She turns to me, and some of the life has returned to her eyes.

"What's going on?" I whispers gently into her ear. She looks down at her feet and begins to rub one of her hands up and down her forearm, just like she used to.

"Uh… that was my brother, he said I need to come home, some sort of family emergency."

I become worried immediately.

"Is everything okay? Is someone hurt?"

She shook her head rapidly.

"No. No, nothing like that."

"Did you want me to bring you home?"

"No!" she shouts. Her reaction surprises me. "No, thank you. I can walk home, Xander wants me to stop by the grocery store quickly to grab something. It's fine."

"O-okay."

She nods and starts walking towards front door to grab her things.

I follow closely behind.

"Hey?" I starts. "You know you can tell me anything right?"

She stopped putting on her shoes and looked up at me. She just stared me for a few moments looking at him in the eyes.

"Of- of course I know that."

"Good, because you can trust me with anything. I will always be here if you ever need anything."

"Austin-

"If anything was seriously wrong, you would tell me, right?"

She turns her head to the door quickly, as if she can hear something through it, then she turns back.

"Thank you for everything, you really are the best friend ever, but I need to go right now. It's only going to get worse?"

That didn't answer my question. Wait- what-

"What's just going to get worse? Ally?!"

"Bye Austin!"

"Ally wait!"

But she was gone, before I could talk to her she is gone.

Little did I know, I should have never let her go.


	2. Broken and Burdens

**Chapter 2: Broken and Burdens**

"How do you deal with it?"

"What?"

"How do you deal with depression like that?"

"I don't."

I was sitting on my couch, next to my mom watching Oprah. Oprah was interviewing some celebrity who suffered from major depression, and for whatever reason I couldn't knock the thought out of my head that something was going on with Ally.

I was leaning forward, with the heels of my hands holding up my head and my elbows resting on my knees. I was in a deep trance.

"You're really into this interview, aren't you?"

I looked up at my mom, who was watching me.

"What?"

"Austin is something going on?"

"Why do you ask?"

"I just find it strange that it is a Saturday night and my seventeen year old son is sitting on his couch watching Oprah with his mother, and he seems to be very into it", she says setting her coffee down on the side table next to the recliner.

"Umm…"

"You seem a little off tonight. Is everything okay? Did something happen this afternoon with Ally?"

"You're a bit nosy aren't you?"

Her lips twitch.

"Austin…"

"It's Ally, I think something is up, but I don't know what to do."

"What do you mean you think something is up? What happened?"

"Ally got a call this afternoon, from her brother. She said it was some sort of family emergency. Ally never talks about her parents. I am pretty sure her dad left when she was little, but I think he came back a month ago. She was so happy this morning, but after that call she became distant, just like she used to, two years ago. I'm a little concerned."

I look up after my mom, who has stayed silent for the last two minutes.

"Mom", I say, "Aren't you going to say anything."

"I'm thinking."

"Oh."

"I shouldn't be spreading any rumours, but she is your best friend, and you are in love with her. "

"Mom!"

"What? It's true, isn't it?"

I don't deny it.

"Anyways, I was talking to some of Ally's neighbors a year and a half ago, and they said that sometimes they would wake up in the middle of the night and hear screaming."

"Screaming?"

"Yah."

"Weird."

"If you're so worried, why don't you go to her house tomorrow morning."

"Yah alright."

"If there is anything up, you come tell me okay."

"Sure, I'm going to my room."

"Okay sweetie, have a good sleep."

I walk up to my room, and lie on my bed. I stare at the ceiling wondering what to do.

The next day, I don't go to Ally's, I invite Dez over and try to distract myself. We play video games for hours. Dez continues to comment on how my game is off today. It surprises me when he pauses the game in the middle of a fight.

"Why don't you call her?"

"What?"

"That's what you are thinking about, isn't it?"

I sigh.

"See, I'm right, and you are miserable. Not even playing your favourite video game will cheer you up. What is going on?"

"It's Ally."

Dez shifts uncomfortably in his seat.

"Austin, everything is about Ally. Not that that is a problem, she is a great girl, one of my best friends. But honestly when don't you burden yourself with wondering what is up with her. Haven't you been suspicious for a while?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean… you know what, I don't even know how to put it into words. I guess she is always very distant; she doesn't like to let people in to get to know her. She gets so nervous around people, it's not normal sometimes. Something is up."

"I knew it."

So I make the call from my basement sitting next to Dez who is giving me a thumb up.

I press call and wait for a response.

But the call doesn't go through, so I try again, finally a voice comes on, but it isn't Ally's.

"Sorry for the inconvenience, but the number you've called is either no longer available or the line is disconnected. Press one to talk to tech support."

I throw my phone down on the ground.

"Shit!"

"What?" asks Dez.

"The line is dead."

"Call her cell."

"Ally doesn't have a cell phone."

"Oh yah", he says quietly, "I forgot."

I slouch down on the couch. "Now what?"

"Why don't we go pay Ally a glorious visit?"

"That's a great idea!"

"I don't know Dez, what if she just wants to be alone?"

"Will you just stop being a chicken and just admit it, you're in love with Ally."

"Why do I have to admit it, if everyone already thinks I do?"

"You need to admit it to yourself" he says. I turn and look at Dez in the eye.

"What makes you think I haven't?"

"Because, if you already had admitted it to yourself, you would have worked up the guts to ask her out ages ago."

"That can't be true, because I already know that I love her, but I don't want to ruin anything because of my feelings. I know she doesn't feel the same way."

"How do y-

"Can we stop talking about this?" I say gripping the steering wheel of the truck tighter. This is a really awkward conversation. I mean what guy enjoys talking about his feelings.

"Fine, but she doesn't want to be alone, and you know that. Why don't we just take her out to see a movie in the city?"

"Hey, that's a good idea. She has wanted to see this one movie for ages."

"Great! Now we have a plan."

We continue to drive down the road. There are fallen leaves all over the road, and there are puddles filling the potholes.

When Dez and I arrived at Ally's house, the yard had a few bear bottles on the lawn. I winced when I noticed this. Dez didn't seem to notice though.

He got out of the truck first and started walking up to the door; I had to run to catch up with him. He must have been excited to see Ally.

I knock on the door. The door opens almost immediately. Xander answers. He looks surprised to see us.

"What are you guys doing here?"

"It's nice to say you too Xander", Dez says sarcastically.

"Whatever. What do you need?"

Dez and I exchange looks. Xander looks aggravated. He looks back inside the house. He steps out, and shuts the door behind him quietly.

"What are you guys doing here?" he repeats.

"We are for Ally? Is she here?"

"Umm… she isn't available right now."

"Not available?" I ask curiously. "When will she be available?"

"I don't know. Guys, I'm sorry, we are a bit busy right now, I'll tell Ally that you stopped by, see you around."

"Wait!" I shout.

"Shhh! You need to leave now", he says sternly.

Dez starts tugging on my sleeve.

"We should go", he whispers.

"Xander! Where is your sister!?" someone screams from inside the house. Xander doesn't even look back at me, he opens the door back up.

"Please, leave", he says finally, before walking inside the house, and leaving Dez and I on the front porch.

Dez and I start to walk back to the truck.

"Where do you think Ally is?" asks Dez.

"I don't know", I say quietly. "I guess we will just have to wait until tomorrow at school."

"I guess so", replies Dez.

We both open the doors to the truck at the exact same time and step in. Once I shut my door, I just stare at the house for a few moments.

"Ally would tell me if something were seriously wrong, right?"

"Sure, you two have been best friends for ever, she could trust you with anything."

"Yah."

"You don't seem so sure."

"She was just so distant after that call, I'm worried about her. She looked afraid of something."

"I think you need to trust that she would tell you."

"Yah your right."

I drop Dez off at his house and spend the rest of my day locked in my room.

I find a locket sitting on the second shelf of my book shelf. It's Ally's.

I open it up and there is a picture of Ally and me inside of it. It is from her sixteenth birthday. I had put a party hat on her head for fun. I am wearing one too. We both had a huge smile on our faces. We were hugging each other, our chests pushed together, and smiling at the camera. My mother took that picture. I had thrown a surprise party for Ally that year. Half the grade showed up. Ally was so surprised she stared crying. She didn't think that so many people cared about her. But I knew. Everyone at school loved Ally. She was the most beautiful girl, smartest. She was shy and quirky, but that's what made her Ally. That's why everyone loved her.

That was the day I realized I really liked Ally.

I had noticed Dez sneaking glances at her and flirting with her, and I realized that I minded. It bugged me that Dez was doing that.

I got her the locket for her birthday. But why was it sitting on the shelf? I shut the locket and it fell apart. It was broken. Maybe that's why. Maybe I just broke it. Either way I was going to find a way to fix this broken locket. Nothing could stay broken forever.

I come back home and eat supper with my parents. We sit around the dining room table, with the lights dimmed and a candle lit at the centre of the table. We are eating delicious homemade lasagna. My mom made pumpkin pie for desert.

My thoughts keep roaming around, as I recall the last two days, searching for something that could lead me to understand what is going on with Ally. It was really strange when Dez and I heard that woman screaming at Xander for Ally. Xander said Ally wasn't available. What does that even mean? Was she in the washroom; was she even in the house? Was she hiding from the person who was calling her?

"Austin?"

I look up and see both of my parents staring at me. My mom looks concerned.

"What?"

They exchange a glance.

"Son, how would you like to go to Hawaii for 2 weeks next month?"

"Umm…" I start, "that would be cool, I guess."

"You guess?" my mom asks.

"Hawaii sounds like it would be a lot of fun. What's the occasion?"

"No occasion, I just have some vacation time to use up, and we thought Hawaii might be fun. You know, to escape all the drama around here."

Ally isn't going to be too thrilled that I'll be gone for two weeks. We've never spent from than five days apart. We've always done everything together.

"Honey, Ally can't come."

I look up again at my mom.

"What?"

"This is a family trip. I love Ally, I really do, but I think it would be better if you two just had some space for a while. You know. Sweetheart, you can't burden yourself with Ally's issues all the time, it's not healthy."

"Mimi", my Dad hisses quietly, "You're going to upset him."

"Damn right you are", I shout. They both wince. My mom opens up her mouth to talk.

I set my utensils down angrily.

"Ally is not a burden! Don't you ever talk about her like that again!" I yell before standing up violently and marching up the stair to my room.

Ally is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I now realize my mom is the second person today to accuse Ally of being a burden. Ally will never be a burden; I will always be there for her.

I slam the door to my room, and fall onto my bed. I stare out the window of my room. I see the tree house in the backyard.

_"Arggg!" the little boy shouts. "I am the captain of this ship, and you must obey my orders! Now all hands on deck." He was playing in the tree house his father had built. It was spectacular, at least to his little 7 year old eyes. There was a window on each side and a deck surrounding the entire building. The rope ladder hung from the back._

_The door from the house opens, and two people emerge from inside the house. The first one, is the boy's mother, and second is a little girl. The boy stops what he is doing and smiles at the girl. _

_"You came!" he jumps happily. She smiles back. _

_"Play nice", his mother calls walking back inside. _

_The girl climbs up the ladder into the tree house. The boy offers her his hand when she gets to the top of the ladder to pull her onto the deck. Since he was playing Pirates, and he was the captain of this ship, he was calling the shots. _

_"You are my prisoner now, Lady…"_

_"Lady Ally", she said sweetly. He smiled at her. _

_"Lady Ally", he confirmed. "You will be my right hand man."_

_"You mean your right hand woman."_

_"Woman", he repeated. "Alongside me, you and I will rule the seven seas together. We will be unstoppable." _

_The smile grew on the little girls face. The boy grabbed her upper arm and led her inside the 'pirate ship'. _

_"Ow!" the girl exclaimed. _

_"What?"_

_The girl lifted up her sleeve and a dark blue bruise was exposed. It looked like the bruise was gripping her arm. _

_"What happened?" the boy asked. He was surprised to see such a big bruise on the girl. _

_"Umm… I fell."_

_"Wow! You must have fallen hard."_

_"I did", she confirmed. _

_"Come on Captain Austin, let's go fight some pirates", she said changing the subject. _


	3. Inviters and Invitees

**A/N: So here is another chapter. If you want me to continue this story, please leave a comment, that way I know people are liking it. Thanks for all the positive feedback. You guys rock. Hope you guys like this chapter. Warning: There will be a lot of drama coming up in future chapter. Brace yourselves, it's quite traumatic. **

**-Unleashedd**

**Chapter 3: Inviters and Invitees**

"Are you coming?"

"I don't know yet. It depends."

"It depends on what?"

"On Ally, I haven't talked to her about it yet."

"I should have known", Dez says laughing.

"What?" I ask confused.

"It's Ally, she always comes first for you."

"Will everyone just stop trying to convince me that Ally isn't good enough for me, or that I can't care about her opinion?!"

"It's not that…"

"I know what this is really about, you like Ally, and you think I am in your way."

"Everyone likes Ally."

"That's not what I meant. You _like_, like Ally.

"Actually-

"No! I've noticed it for a while. You know how I feel about her, and you are still trying to get in the way", I say. It bugs me a lot that my best friend likes my other best friend, whom I am in love with.

"That's not-

"Just shut up, I don't care", I say ignoring whatever he was going to say.

I turn around away from our lockers in the hallway. I see Ally and Xander walking down the hallway towards us. Ally is looking at Xander and they appear to be in a deep conversation. Xander looks like he is trying to convince Ally of something. Good luck with that. Ally is a hard person to convince. Ally is wearing a jean jacket, and a floral skirt that goes down close to her knees. She is wearing her favourite brown wedges. She has her backpack on, but carries some books in her hands.

She looks ahead and smiles at me. I smile back and give her a little wave.

As they get closer to me, I notice something on Ally's forehead. There is a square white gauze above her left eyebrow.

"And call me right away, if you need anything. Okay?" says Xander looking concerned.

"Yah, alright. I'll see you tomorrow." Xander walks away without even acknowledging my existence. She turns to me again and smiles.

"Hi!" she says with a cheerful voice.

"Hey beautiful, what happened to your forehead?" I grab the books she has in her hands in she smiles gratefully. She lifts her free hand and touches her forehead lightly.

"I uh… I fell."

"You fell", I repeat unconvinced.

She nods quickly.

"Yep."

"What did you hit your head off of?"

"I was putting my clean clothes into my dresser in my room, and I slammed my head off of top of my dresser"

"Ouch!" I exclaim. "But you said you fell."

"I meant, I tripped?" she says it like it is a question.

"Are you sure about that? You don't seem so sure?"

"Why are you interrogating me? I tripped okay? Next topic!"

Dez walks up beside me and smiles at Ally.

"Hey Ally! How was your weekend? What happened to your forehead?"

Ally screams in annoyance.

"I tripped okay? I tripped and hit my head" she practically yells and then looks down at her feet embarrassed. People in the hallway turn their heads. They are surprised to hear Ally yell, it's out of character for her. I look at Dez who looks slightly frightened. Ally looks back up at Dez.

"I'm sorry I yelled. I just had a really long weekend. It's nice to be back at school."

This time I give her a weird look.

"It's nice to be back at school?" I repeat. "Really? I think everyone else feels the exact opposite."

"I like being at school. I always know exactly where I stand. Is that a crime?"

"No, but almost."

She playfully shoves me, and Ally and I start walking to her locker so she can empty her backpack.

"You look beautiful today", I point out.

She rolls her eyes.

"You say that every day."

"Because every day it's true", I reply innocently.

"Well, thank you. But I don't just wake up like this."

"I find that hard to believe."

"Well it's true."

"You're coming to my band practice tonight, right?"

She checks her watch.

"I'll try to stop by after work. I work until 6:30, so I'll be there after that."

"Okay cool."

We get to her locker and she sets her backpack on the floor beside her locker and begins to empty her backpack.

"Ally, can we talk about what happened the other night?" I finally ask. It has been bugging me all weekend.

She freezes, staring into her locker with her pencil case in hand.

"I didn't like the way we left things. I didn't like the way you left like that."

She swallows and looks down at her feet.

"Ally? What are you so afraid of?"

"Afraid?"

"You looked frightened about something to me. Is someone hurting you? Because I would kick their ass if they were."

She laughs lightly.

"Austin, you don't have to worry about me."

"But I want to!" She raises her eye brow. "Okay maybe I don't want to, but I do. Okay? It's my job. As your best friend, it is my job to worry about you."

"Does that mean as your best friend, it is my job to worry about you?"

"No you're not allowed to worry about me."

"And why not?"

"Because there is nothing to worry about."

"Exactly, and you have to reason to worry about me."

"That's not how it works."

"Nice logic."

"As if. It is very logical."

"Oh really?"

"Yes. And that is the end of the discussion." She laughs.

"You are ridiculous."

"I'm serious you know. I want to know what you are so afraid of so I can get rid of the pain." She smiles and then frowns looking down at her feet. It looks like she is remembering something. I stand right in front of her, watching her ever so closely. Her expression remains still.

"Want to share?" I ask hoping to gain some knowledge. She just shakes her head biting her lip. I lean forward kissing for forehead lightly above her bandage. I pull away wrapping my arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, let's go to class", I say.

_If I could stop the world tonight,_

_I would_

_Freeze this moment in time_

_Oh if I _

_Only could _

_Our bodies dance like the wind over and over again_

_In a perfect sky_

_Hypnotized by the sound I get lost and then found in your eyes_

I look up while I am singing and see Ally smiling, standing at the entrance of the garage. Suddenly I become very embarrassed. For some reason I don't want her to hear me singing right now. I continue.

_Cause it_

_Doesn't get better than this _

_No it doesn't get better than this_

_Oh if we could stop the world tonight_

_I think that we should try_

_Cause it doesn't get better than this_

"Okay, okay guys. Cut. That's enough for right now. Let's take a ten minute break."

The guys disperse, and Ally walks into the garage.

The sky is cloudy today. It is quite cold outside.

"Why did you stop? You were doing so good!"

"I don't like my voice", I lie.

She looks at me as if I am telling the biggest lie ever.

"What?"

"You're kidding right?" she says sitting down on the couch that is sitting in the garage. She puts her bag beside her.

I smile slightly.

"Austin, I've never heard anyone with a voice nearly as good as yours, you are amazing."

I shrug.

"Once again, you are ridiculous."

She shakes her head in disapproval.

She opens up her bag and pulls out a small brown bag.

"Here, this is for you."

"Is this what I think it is?"

"Yes."

I open up the bag, and I find one of the homemade cookies Ally made at the bakery she works at.

"You're the best. You need to give me this recipe."

"Never, it's top secret."

"You're really good at keeping secrets, you know that right."

"Trust me, I know."

"Hey Ally!" shouts Colton my drummer.

"Hey Colt!"

"Did you bring me a cookie too?"

"Of course she didn't!" I say back.

"Actually, I did. I brought one for everyone." She takes out three more bags and hands one to Colton.

"Thanks gorgeous", he says. I glare at him. I am slightly saddened by the idea that Ally brought all of my band member's cookies too, and not just me. But I get over it quickly.

"I'm going to go get us some drinks from in the house" I tell everyone.

I go into the kitchen and pour everyone a glass of lemonade. I put each glass onto the tray and carry the tray back to the garage. When I get back Colton is sitting next to Ally. Too close for my liking. My drummer is practicing some beats and my two base players are talking to each other.

Ally and Colton are talking while Colton eats his cookie. Colton has light brown hair, he has it gelled up in the front, and apparently very nice teeth. He is wearing khaki pants and a blue long sleeve shirt.

"What are your plans for next year?" I hear Colton ask.

"I'm not quite sure. All I know is that I was to get far away from this town."

"Yah me too, I think I'll travel to California, and try to make it big in the music industry."

"Really?"

"I know, stupid huh?"

"No not at all, I think it's nice that your following your dream", Ally says with her signature smile. He smiles back.

"Well, you'd be the first. My parents don't exactly agree, they think I am throwing my life away. That I am an idiot for making this decision."

"Well if it is what you want, it shouldn't matter what anyone else thinks."

"You're right. Thanks Ally", he replies smiling, "Hey, my parents are out of town this weekend, I'm having a party, you should come."

Ally smiles.

"Thanks for the offer, I'll think about it."

"I hope you can come. It won't be a party without you."

Colton looks up and sees me watching them. But he ignores me.

"Before I forget, what happened to your forehead?"

Ally looks down at her hands that are sitting on her lap. She tries to distract herself with them, but fails.

"I umm… I tripped."

He looks closer at it, so that their faces are just inches apart.

"Ouch. Sounds painful."

Ally nods.

"Yah, it hurt. It's pretty deep, so it bled for a while."

He winces.

"You need to be more careful, and watch your step." He backs away, and stand up. He puts a hand on her shoulder. "Careful out there, it's a jungle."

"Thanks for the advice", she says looking up at him. She smiles before he walks in the other direction, back to the instruments.

I walk up to her and sit down next to her where Colton was sitting.

She smiles at me and I smile back. I hand her a glass of lemonade and her smile becomes grateful.

"Thank you."

"Anytime for you."

She blushes and my smile grows.

"Ally something has been bugging me."

"What's that?" she wonders.

"Where is Xander tonight?"

Her smile disappears.

"Oh you heard that."

"Where is he going to be tonight?"

"He is going out of town tonight. He didn't say exactly what he was doing; just that he had to take care of some business."

"Oh."

She nods.

"Do you want to stay over tonight, so you aren't alone?" She immediately reacts by looking up at me.

"Seriously?"

"Yah, I'd have to ask, but I'm sure my parents won't mind. You can sleep in the guest room. It'll be fun."

"Really? Cause that would mean the world to me Austin."

"Absolutely, anything for you."

"You're the best." She hugs me. I inhale the smell of her hair.

"You have spare clothes, toothbrush and pajamas here, so it shouldn't be a problem."

"You have no idea how much I love you right now", she says. I freeze, because she just said she loves me. She doesn't seem to notice, because she hops up and walks into the house with her bags.


	4. Swings and Secrets

**A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for all of the great reviews! I really appreciate them. Keep'em coming! I love your feedback. **

**I want to know: What do you think Ally's big secret in this story? What is she hiding?**

**Let me know! The climax of the story is coming up in the next chapter, so hold on tight. **

**-Unleashedd**

**Chapter 4: Swings and Secrets**

She was swinging back and forth in a steady rhythm. Back and forth. On her lap was my old acoustic guitar and she had one of her legs tucked beneath the other so she was sitting on it. She hummed along to a tune, and strummed cords in a sequence.

_Heeeey brother, _

_There's an endless world to rediscover_

_Heeeey sister, _

_No that water's sweet, but blood is thicker_

_Ohhhhhh if the sky comes falling down for you_

_There's nothing in this world I wouldn't do_

She stops playing and writes some notes down on a piece of paper. I take the time now to walk up to her sitting on the porch swing. She has spent the past hour sitting here on the porch with my guitar as I finished up band practice.

It was starting to get colder outside so I brought her a blanket. I didn't really want to disturb her, she was so focused, but I wanted to be near her.

She must have heard the sound of my foot on the deck floor, because she looked up at me startled. She blushes.

"How long have you been standing there?"

"Not long", I confirm.

I walk up to the swing and sit next to her. She just watches me.

"You're getting really good", I tell her, "You've improved a lot."

She smiles proudly.

"Thanks."

Red, yellow and orange leaves fall from the sky, and we watch from underneath the porch. The porch has been painted white and is surrounded by a white railing. Across the street the neighbors are raking up leaves on their lawn.

"What was that song you were working on?"

She looks down at her knees.

"Oh it was just something that I came up with, It's nothing."

"Nothing? It sounded really good."

"Your just full of compliments tonight, aren't you?"

"I just want the most beautiful girl in the world to know how beautiful and talented she is." Ally blushes and laughs.

"Well thanks. I can always count on you to see the positive things in life." We both stare at each other, looking into each other's eyes. I can tell that Ally is trying to read my expression, just as I am for her. I feel myself leaning into her, as if I am a magnet attracted to her. Ally starts to lean in slightly too before pulling away once again blushing. I blush too and stand up.

"I am just going to make sure it's okay with my mom that you stay over."

"Okay", she says quietly.

I walk into the house, and shut the door behind me. I lean on the door, and close my eyes.

That was really awkward. I need to stop with these surges of losing myself in her; it's only going to end up in heartbreak, for me. I don't want to lose our friendship, so I shouldn't risk it.

I can hear my mom from in the kitchen putting groceries away. I walk into the kitchen.

"Hey mom", I say sitting down on a bar stool.

"Hey honey", she replies without looking up. "How was your day?"

"It was good. The guys and I had band practice this afternoon, and we talked about getting a gig later this fall."

"I heard you playing last week. You're getting really good."

"Thanks", I say, "Hey mom?"

"What?"

"Ally's parents are out of town for the night and so is Xander, would it be okay if Ally stayed the night?"

My mom doesn't say anything at first. She just thinks about it.

"Please!? I don't want her to be alone at night, and neither does she."

"Where exactly are her parents?"

"I don't know she didn't say."

She sighs.

"Austin, it's a school night."

"I know, but we will be really good. You won't even know she is here."

"Okay, sure. But either both sleep in the living room or she is sleeping in the guest room and you in yours."

"I know. Thanks mom. Love you", I thank her, and kiss her on the cheek before I leave and go back to Ally.

"Austin, wait!" I stop.

"You watch out for her. There is something fishy going on. I know it. I've never seen a girl like her before in my life, but I know that no girl should even sever herself that much from the rest of the world."

"I know mom, I do watch out for her."

"Be careful."

I nod, and walk back to Ally.

"She's cool with it", I tell her. She looks up from her guitar, and I real smile expands across her face.

"Really?"

"Really." She hops up and sets the guitar on the ground. She throws her arms around my neck for the second time today. At first the hug surprises me, but I ease into it, and close my eyes. She really does belong in my arms. It feels to perfect like this, when she pulls away I immediately feel like I am missing something.

I smile though and pick up the guitar; I grab her hand and lead her inside, which she allows willingly.

Before we crash for the night Ally and I do our homework in my room. She is at my desk studying and I am on my bed doing math.

The math is extremely frustrating and it doesn't help that everything Ally does distracts me either. Just her breathing is a distraction. So it really isn't her fault, it's mine. After attempting a math problem one final time, I realize this is impossible.

"Ughhh", I moan. Ally turns her head to face me; she gives me a sad smile. One that makes me want to wipe away the sadness with my lips.

"What's up?" she asks.

"It's this long division of polynomials question. I can't get it. She walks over to the bed and lies down next to me.

"Okay so where as you right now?"

I point to the question in the text book, and then to my attempt on the lined paper.

"Okay, you have it basically right, you just forgot to carry the two, and the four here and here, if you do that I think you will get it." She watches as I complete the steps.

"Good, and this number right here is the quotient, and the one at the bottom is the remainder, so let's check the answer in the back of the book." I flip to the answer key, and the answer is the same.

"That's it you got it. Do you want to try another?"

I do and I get the answer right away. I look up at Ally thrilled. "You're a great teacher, you know." She blushes.

"Thank you." I smile at her.

"Why are you blushing?" I tease.

"You are just so good at giving me compliments. It feels good."

"Well in that case… Ally you are the most beautiful, intelligent, talented girl I know", I whisper into her ear since we still lay side by side. She leans her head onto her arm and turns on her side so that we face each other.

She smiles and then frowns. "I don't believe you." I frown, that hurt the gut.

"What? Why?"

"I don't feel beautiful", she deadpans.

I stare at her. "Ally, you are so, so beautiful." She looks down for a moment and her hair falls over her face. I can't resist the temptation to tuck it behind her ear. She freezes that moment my hand touches her hair. We just stare at each other for a few moments before we both lose it, I can't hold back anymore I lean into kiss her, and this time, so does she. It is a slow kiss at first, but then she pushes me onto my back and she is on top of me. The kiss grows hungry. Ally has her hand on the back of my head, and I have one of mine on the side of her head, I roll over so she is lying on the bed. There is space between us, so I don't crush her. She is smiling, and I lean into kiss her again. She accepts. I grip her belt for a few second before sliding my hand on her stomach. She is so soft.

Ally automatically freezes, and pushes me off.

"Ally I'm-

"No! This can't happen. I'm sorry."

"I shouldn't have done that. We can go slowly. Take our sweet time with this change. We-

"No! Austin, this…" she motions around us, and points to me and then back to herself. "This can't happen. I can't lose you."

"I'm sorry, I just lost my focus", I whisper.

"I'm sorry too, but there can't be anything more than what we already are."

"You don't mean that", I whisper on the verge of losing it. Ally is trying hard to hold back tears, her eyes are glassy.

"Ally, you can't tell me after that! After what we just did, that we can't be more than this", I shout. I feel a tear fall down my cheek. I never thought I would ever cry like this. "I'm in love with you. There I said it. I'm in love with you Ally Dawson!" Tears fall down her face now, and I approach her to wipe them away.

"I'm sorry", she whispers, before leaving the room.

"Me too." She walks out the door and down the hall to the guest room. I shut the door, and lean against the frame of my bed. I slam my fists on the wall. "Shit!" I scream. I run my hand through my hair. I just messed up my one chance.

She rejected me. I sigh.

I need to talk to her. I walk down the hall to her room, the door is open, and she is facing the mirror. She has her shirt up so her stomach and part of her chest is exposed.

I gasp before the scene in front of me. Her entire chest is bruised. Dotted with purple blotches. Ally looks up right away, sees me, and tries to hide herself. She walk up to the door and tries to shut it but I stop it with my foot.

"Ally open the door!" I say sternly.

Nothing happens.

"Please", I whisper with the last bit of energy I have left.

Her hand maneuvers around the door and it opens a crack before opening completely.

We stand on opposite sides of the door frame.

"Ally what happened?"

"I'm a freak, I know. I don't deserve to live."

"You are not a freak! Stop saying that. Everyone loves you."

"Not everyone."

"Please, everyone adores you at school."

"Yah, at school, but that's it."

I give her a weird look. Who is she trying to kid.

"You need to stop looking at yourself so negatively." I guide her towards the bed and we both sit down. "Now what happened?"

She gulps.

"Um, remember when I said I tripped", she asks. I nod. "It's from then."

I just stare at her.

"Are you serious? Ally, one small trip can't do this much damage."

"I don't want to talk about it."

I see the look in her eyes, They show I broken girl, on the verge of giving up on life.

I wrap my arms around her for a friendly hug, because I know that's what she needs right now. I guess my feelings for her will just have to wait. Obviously she isn't ready yet.

For the next two weeks, Ally grows more and more distant. She starts missing school some days, each day coming up with a new excuse. Ally and I planned to go to Colton's party, but it never happened, she said she wasn't feeling well. I blame myself for her distance. I shouldn't have been so forward with my feelings. I've ruined everything. She has started to put more and more space between us. So days I think she looks really thin, but I assume it's no big deal. Ally has refused any of my offers to come over again, and won't let me come over to her house. I'm losing the only thing I've ever really valued: my friendship with Ally.


	5. Goodbyes and Hellos

**A/N: Hey guys! I am really keen to get this next chapter updated, so here it is. Please don't hate me, there is a lot of drama. I've had this chapter completed for 2 weeks, I just had to work up to it. This is the chapter when everything will begin to be explained, so hold tight and fasten your seat belt, because this is about to get rocky. And I also just realized that I put lyrics in the previous chapter. I didn't write those. They are from "Hey Brother" by Avicii. Its a great song, you should listen to it. Anyway, please, please, please review. Tell me what you think. I want to know! 3**

**-Unleashedd**

**Chapter 5: Goodbyes and Hellos**

The weather must have mimicked our moods, because it was a bad day. It was pouring outside. It was a wet, cold fall day, and all I wanted to do was be wrapped up in a warm blanket with ally next to me watching a movie. So that is what we did. Ally may not be my girlfriend, but I still treat her like she is. Ally was in the mood for a tragic romance, and I wanted action, so we settled for Romeo and Juliet, and there was enough action packed fights ad romance for the both of us.

I had finally got Ally to consider coming over. It took a lot of convincing, but after I begged on my knees, she came running. Sort of.

The day started fine, but it didn't end well.

"Ally, I have to tell you something?"

"What?" she says suspiciously.

"I'm going on vacation."

"Wait, so you're leaving?"

"Yah, my dad finally had some vacation time, so we are going to Hawaii for two weeks."

"Austin, you can't go! I need you here; you don't understand what will happen."

"Ally don't worry, it's only going to be for 14 days." Her eye starts to sparkle; she has tears in her eyes. "Please don't cry" I say pulling her into a hug.

"A lot can happen in two weeks Austin"

"I know, I know, but I won't let anything happen to you."

"How can you make that promise if you won't even be here?"

"I'll be thinking about you, you'll see everything will work out. I may not be with you, but you've got to be strong. You'll be here in my heart and I'll be there for you."

"Austin, you can't go! Please stay." What was she so afraid of and why couldn't she tell me. It was only two weeks. I was beginning to become annoyed.

"Ally, get a hold of yourself."

"You can't leave me alone with her, your all I have."

"What do you mean with her?"

She doesn't respond.

"Ally please, tell me what's going on, and I'll stay. I know you're scared, but if you don't tell me what's going, how am I supposed to help you. Just say the words and I'll stay."

"I… I- I can't."

"And why not!" I shout. "I've always been here for you! There isn't a day that goes by that doesn't begin and end with me thinking about you. I have always been here to help you, to pick you up from the ashes, and typically our friendship is enough to keep that going, because I know that no matter what happens, I'll always have you here, but you can't even trust me with one thing. How do you think that makes me feel?"

"Austin, I want to tell you, but I can't, it's too dangerous", she whispers arching her shoulders up. She has tears flowing down her face, and is crying openly. I bite my lip. I hate to see her like this, she looks like she is about to fall apart.

I hug her so tightly, hoping that the hug will squeeze the pain away. She sobs into my shoulder.

78 more days…

The day I left her was a tough day, she cried the whole time, I hated to leave her like this, but I had an obligation to my family, and how bad could it really be? I thought about inviting her along with me, that way I could keep an eye on her and we could be together, I know she would be happy if she could be with me, but my parents said no.

They were convinced what was going on with Ally was no big deal, but they never had a daughter so they didn't know what was normal and what wasn't. I am sure that Ally's case isn't normal.

So there I was in customs at the airport with sobbing Ally. Some people would have been embarrassed to have a girl crying so much around them. But I thought it was cute. She looked so small and vulnerable, she only ever cried around me. While we were waiting with my parents she tried to hold herself together.

"Flight 657 is now boarding."

"Austin sweetie, that's our flight, time to say goodbye", said my mom.

"Okay, you guys go ahead; I'll be there in a few minutes."

My parents looked at each other, and then back at me. They nodded and left.

Ally and I stayed quiet for a few minutes, before both standing up at the same time. Once we were both standing Ally stayed put and I walked so I was facing her. Her gaze was left on the ground.

"You don't know how hard it is for me to get on that plane."

"Then don't.

"Ally, you know I can't do that. My parents need me too."

"You have no idea how hard it is for me to let you get on that plane."

Now her eyes float up my body and stare directly into my eyes. She blinks quickly and her lips quiver.

She opens her mouth to speak, but nothing comes out, instead her arms fly around my neck at the same time I open my arms around her shoulders. I feel like breaking down myself, but I hold myself together. I really underestimated how hard this was for her. I could feel her shaking.

She finally pulls away.

"I guess I really can't let you miss your flight."

"No you can't."

She forces a smile.

"I'll miss you", she finally says.

"I know, I'll miss you too. We can still Skype every day. You'll see it won't be that hard."

She forces another smile, not believing what I say.

"See you in two weeks", I tell her turning around. Cursing myself for not telling her what I really want to tell her.

I start walking away, one step at a time. I have to count the steps to keep myself distracted and to stop myself from turning around.

"Austin, wait!" I hear Ally shout from behind me. I spin around.

"You forgot something."

"What?"

"This…"

And she wraps her arms around my neck again, but this time her lips collide against mine, into one long, hungry, passionate kiss. Our lips move in sync perfectly as if we have been preparing our whole lives for this moment. Neither of us dares to be the first to part. Her lips are just as soft as I've always imagined them being, maybe even more. It surprises me when she pulls away first.

"You need to go", she says breathless. I nod smiling. She is smiling too, and all traces that she was ever crying have completely disappeared.

"Where did that come from", I ask.

She shrugs.

"I've kind of wanted to do that for a while now, and you always see people doing that in movies. You know running into their lover's arms and kissing each other senseless before boarding a plane. So I thought it might be memorable, something to keep you think of me."

"Lover's, huh?" I tease.

She blushes, and looks down at her feet embarrassed.

"Hey" I say trying to gain eye contact from her, "that was amazing, I wish I would have thought of that but now it is going to be 10 times harder to get on that plane knowing you will be right here."

I smile, so happy that she decided to do that, I don't even care who is staring. I trace the outline of her jaw with my thumb, ending with a quick touch to her bottom lip with my finger and then lean in to kiss her one last time.

When I pull away she is smiling.

"Ally, I lo-

"I know, I know", she hushes me. "Now go, before your parents start to think you were abducted."

I give one last kiss to the cheek, before leaving the other direction, and walking around the corner, leaving Ally behind me.

Surprising enough the next week and a half go by fairly quickly. Knowing that Ally and I left on good terms makes me feel happy inside and out, and it obviously affects my mood, because my parents have commented on how happy I look.

I think they know that something happened back at the airport, but don't want to ask.

The only thing that is bugging me is the fact that I haven't talked to Ally at all in 5 days. We kept saying we would either text or Skype each other every day, but every time I've tried to talk to her in five days hasn't worked.

I end up taking a day for myself; I spend the afternoon at the resort pool while my parents spend the afternoon in our room. They were up late last night and wanted the day to rest.

I think about how much Ally would have loved this place.

The pool is so relaxing, but after three hours of relaxing around the pool, I finally get up, fling the towel over my shoulder and walk back up to my room.

I get the room key out of my pocket and start to open the door, but it opens wide open before I can finish.

My mother is standing at the door with wet eyes.

I am really confused.

"What is going on?"

I look around our suite. All of our bags are packed, and everything is piled onto the beds.

"Mom! What is going on?"

She gives me a sad look, and I don't even realize that I have been holding my breath in until now. I exhale.

"Austin", my dad starts, "its Ally."

My.

Heart.

Stops.

My heart stops completely.

"Wh- What do you mean?"

"Honey, Xander called an hour ago, Ally is in intensive care, he just brought there in this morning after he found her unconscious on her bedroom floor this morning."

I can't even breathe, I just stand there frozen. I can feel my mom talking to me, but I don't register anything. Ally. My Ally, all alone, unconscious for the night. Scared as hell. This is what she was trying to tell me. This is why she didn't was me to go. This is my fault.

I start to feel sick.

I need to see her.

"Austin sweetie, you need to sit down, you don't have to talk but you need to sit down. We are going to catch the first flight back home, and we can explain what is happening on the ride home, okay."

I can't speak, my throat is dry. So I just nod.

"Okay good, but we have to go now."

I sit up so fast and run out the door to the lobbing, my parents follow closely behind with our things.

When we finally get to the hospital 6 hours later, I feel numb. Ally will be fine, she is strong, she probably just fell, and hit her head, that's all. The pain of hunger in my stomach has left and has been replaced with a pit of new pain. My mom says its anxiety, and I shouldn't focus on it, because it will make me sick. But it hurts so badly.

She says it's my stomach, but I know it's not; it's my heart. My heart is broken. I broke my own heart, and I don't know how to fix it.

I run in to the hospital as fast as I can, while my parents are still parking the car. I rush up to administration.

"Ally Dawson!"

The nurse looks up, she looks tired. "What?"

"Ally Dawson. Which room?"

She checks through her computer, each second feeling like minutes.

"Room 94", she says finally.

I run through the hallways, following the signs and up to the room. Outside her room, Xander is there sleeping.

I shake him awake.

He shifts groggily.

"Xander, wake up!" I whisper shout.

This time he bolts upright.

"What? What's happening?"

"Xander it is Austin."

"Oh good you've made it. I was afraid you weren't going to show up until tomorrow, she's been asking for you."

"She's awake?" I ask.

"She woke up 3 hours ago. I think she is sleeping now. But man it was hell in there when she realized you weren't there yet."

I am sad that I wasn't there to see her wake up, I wanted to be the first face she saw, but at the same time I am relieved that she is awake.

"Can I go in?"

"Sure."

I turn and open the door.

For the first time, I start to wonder how long Ally was unconscious before Xander found her. The thought scares me.

Ally is the first thing I see. She has IV's hooked up all over her. She is wearing a hospital gown, but I can see that her right wrist is held in a tight caste, and her ribs are wrapped.

I finally let myself cry and break down after all that time of holding it in. I rush up to her and sit next to her bed. I hold her hand in mine.

"Ally, I'm so sorry." A tear falls down my cheek.

"I should have never left, you were right. I said I would always be here, but I wasn't when you needed me most. I am so, so sorry. I'll never leave you again." I lean over her and kiss her lightly on the lips. "I love you so much." I back away and bury my face in my hands.

"Mmm" I hear faintly. I look up and see Ally turning her head to face me. "I've missed you and your lips."

"Ally", I smile happily, so grateful to see her talking again, a tear falls down my face again. I trace circles on the palm of her hand on her good arm. She closes her eyes and inhales carefully. I can tell she is in pain because she winces when she breathes.

"Ally, I am so sorry that I left, I'll never leave you again. I didn't think it was this serious."

A small smile hugs at the edge of her lips.

"I feel much safer now that you are at my side."

I smile, but then frown.

"Ally, who did this to you?" I whisper through my teeth.

She opens her eyes, and she is crying again.

"Ally, I don't care how dangerous it is. I need you to tell me."

She sighs and winces. A tear escapes her eye.

"Ally…"

I look out the window for the first time since we left the hotel this morning. The sky is a dark shade of blue. It's not raining yet, but I can tell it's going too. The wind shears the tree branches enough to tear the roots right out of the ground.

"It was her."

"Who?"

"My mom."


	6. Hospitals and Hospitality

**Chapter 6: Hospitals and Hospitality**

**A/N: I'm sorry for the wait. I've had incredible writers block, and I've been insanely busy too. This chapter is a little shorter and I apologize, it's more of a filler chapter. **

**Fun fact: this story was originally going to be called Already Broken. I like that name too, and I think it fits but Autumn was so neutral and it worked well because the outside always seems to mirror Austin's attitude and life. **

**Enjoy!**

**-Unleashedd**

* * *

_Previously in Autumn…_

_"Ally, I am so sorry that I left, I'll never leave you again. I didn't think it was this serious."_

_A small smile hugs at the edge of her lips. _

_"I feel much safer now that you are at my side."_

_I smile, but then frown._

_"Ally, who did this to you?" I whisper through my teeth._

_She opens her eyes, and she is crying again._

_"Ally, I don't care how dangerous it is. I need you to tell me."_

_She sighs and winces. A tear escapes her eye. _

_"Ally…"_

_I look out the window for the first time since we left the hotel this morning. The sky is a dark shade of blue. It's not raining yet, but I can tell it's going too. The wind shears the tree branches enough to tear the roots right out of the ground. _

_"It was her."_

_"Who?"_

_"My mom."_

I can't even tear my gaze away from the wall; suddenly the wall seems more interesting and important than anything else in the room. I run my hand through my hair.

"Your mom?" I whisper so quietly. The words sound like poison slipping through my lips.

She doesn't say anything.

I think back to all those time years ago. It all makes sense now.

Seeing Ally in huge sweaters every day for a whole month once, I know what that meant now. She was hiding painful, dark bruises behind those sleeves.

When summer came it was harder to hide, she would make up excuses all the time that I would just brush off.

She would have bruises all up her arms; they were finger marks from being abused.

She would never talk about her mom, never go on field trips, and never invite me over.

I remember coming to school when we were 7 year old and Ally would be wearing the same clothes which she had been wearing every day that week, I just thought they were her favourites.

"Are you going to say anything else? You're kind of freaking me out."

"Ally, I'm so sorry?"

"For what?"

"I'm so sorry you've had to go through this for so long."

"It's not your fault."

I grab her good hand and hold it in mine.

"Why didn't you ever tell me?" I whisper.

"I didn't want you to think that I was weird, or treat me any different, or-

"Ally, it hurts me a lot to think that you would ever think those things about me."

"But this is all I've ever known, I guess for the longest time, I thought it was normal, no one ever told me it wasn't. It got better after my dad came back, actually I was more than thrilled to see him because it meant that she didn't have a reason to do it, but then he left again. A couple weeks ago. It's been worse than ever."

"Oh Ally."

"Remember when I was at your house and I got that call? I said it was a family emergency. It actually was Xander, he had just found out my dad had left again. For good this time. And my mom was pissed this time. It was chaotic."

"All this time, you've been keeping this to yourself?"

"Nobody knows."

"What happened to your ribs?" I say quietly, not really wanted to hear the answer.

"It doesn't matter."

"Yes it does Ally! You can't just shut down! You need to talk about this with me!"

"Why? So I can feel bad for myself? So you can feel bad for me? I don't want you to be worrying about me? And I sure as hell don't want to dwell on what has happened. You don't know what she's done." She shouted most of it, but ended with whispering.

"Ally, you are so special, and you deserve to be loved. And you are loved, you are so, so loved. I worry about you. In fact, I worry about you every moment of every day, but I don't have a choice, it just comes naturally. Something's you just don't a choice about and this is one of those things."

"Why does everything have to be so hard?"

"I- I don't know."

"It's not fair", she whispers.

"I know, it really isn't."

"She shoved me into my dresser, really hard. It hurt so bad."

"For one so small, you seem so strong."

"Shut up. I am not strong. I am weak, I am ugly, I am too skinny, and I am too short."

"Who told you that?" I whisper.

"Who do you think?"

"Your mom?"

"My mom", she confirms.

"She is wrong you know. You are the most beautiful girl I know, probably in the entire in the entire world, and you aren't short, you're fun size."

She laughs, and I smile.

"I'm fun size you say?"

"Absolutely, you have the highest academic standing in the school, at this rate you will get into all the top schools in the country for free. And I am so, so lucky to have you."

"That means a lot Austin. Thank you."

I smile at her and squeeze her hand for good measure.

"So…" I start again, "when do you get out of this joint?"

"They said that I can leave tomorrow when I'm ready."

"Do they know what happened?"

"I had to tell them. They gave me no choice. Xander told me I had to."

I nod.

"That was probably really hard to do."

She nods and fiddles with the IV's attached to her hands.

She looks back up at me after a minute.

"I'm so sorry", she whispers quickly.

"What why?" I say concerned. I shift my body so I am sitting on the edge of her bed and facing her. I hold her hand in mine, and stroke her hair.

"I don't deserve you. I'm sorry… I've been an awful friend, and I am such a burden."

"No!" I yell and Ally flinches. "Not you too. Ally you are not a burden and I love you. I love you so much. You have not been an awful friend either, I have. What kind of person doesn't realize that his best friend has been abused her whole life."

"Please don't use that word", she whisper even quieter.

"What word do you want me to use? Tormented, battered, tortured? Ally, they are all the same. They all make me realize I've been awful for not realizing this sooner. It's not you who doesn't deserve me. Its me who doesn't deserve you. You are so beautiful, smart, clever, you are so nice to everyone you meet, you are compassionate. You are so different from your mother."

I pull out her locket, in which I have mended.

I drop it in her hand and she examines the locket.

"Where did you find this?"

"In my room."

"I thought it was broken."

"I fixed it."

"You fixed my broken locket?" she asks again.

I nod.

"Do you want me to put it on you?" She nods happily.

I do.

"This is great really. I can't believe you did this for me."

"I knew what that locket meant to you."

"Thank you", she says sincerely.

And for the first time I think maybe, just maybe it's going to be alright and she will get through this. We will get through this.

Together.

* * *

The next day Ally comes home. I don't actually let her go home, so she comes to my house.

We sit together on my bed doing homework.

I think Ally is frustrated. She can't seem so concentrate on anything.

"My head hurts so badly!" She cries.

I give an apologetic smile.

"The doctor's said that a headache was a symptom of your concussion."

"I feel so handicap though. You know?" She tries to put her hair up into a pony tail and cries out in frustration again. She keep trying and eventually tears come pouring out of her eyes. She throws her books off the bed and breaks down.

Part of me thinks that she needs this.

But I stand up quickly and embrace her into a hug. She sobs into my chest. Her body shakes violently within my arms. I put a hand behind her head and hold her tightly.

She has been so fragile since we've gotten home. The simplest things will set her off.

"This is my entire fault", I whisper quietly to myself.

But she hears it and pulls away, wiping her eyes. They are puffy, and red. I have seen her in this state in ages. She sniffles and wipes her nose.

"I remember being 6 and making my lunch all by myself every day. Some days we didn't have any food in the house because mom hadn't been grocery shopping in over 2 weeks. You used to bring me an extra sandwich and a cookie every day. I always trusted you're love. You were the only thing in my life that was ever stable. I always knew you were going to be here."

I sit there watching Ally as she shares part of her past. A part that I wasn't a part of.

She continues.

"You are so lucky, but so ungrateful. Austin, you have parents who love you. They love you unconditionally. You have no idea what it is like to grow up without a mom to talk to, or a dad to teach me how to play football. You have no idea what it is like to come home to a drunken mother, and no food in the house. I went without eating any food once for 3 full days. At first, you think you've reached the point where you can't imagine being any hungrier, but then it just becomes numb. What about coming home to having cleaned clothes every day, and a bed. These are all things you take for granted, but I've never had. Sure, I have a bed, but a year ago, I discovered mice living in my mattress one night. My house is filthy, and every time I try to clean up, my mother goes around screaming at me messing it up again telling me that it's not worth it. Why isn't it worth it? Why? Why is life worth living?" At this point she has tears streaming down her face and she is out of breath from screaming.

"Oh Ally…" I say trying to hug her. She pushes me away.

"No, I'm going to go. I need some space." I feel hurt, but don't say anything, because I just witnessed Ally break down and I know that she is hurting so much right now. I know that she had to get that out of her system.

"Ally, please don't leave like this."

"I just need to think. Can you just leave me alone for a while?"


End file.
